Above: Drs. Joseph Park (OMFS), Graham Husband, Winter Williams (Attending), and Joseph Granade staff Tinsley Harrison Surge Team A.

The Department of Medicine is working with partners all across the clinical enterprise to respond to the latest increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Both intensive care (MICU) and acute care teams are rapidly deploying extra coverage to provide care for all who need it. The latest predictive models forecast a continued rise in infections that may last for the next four to six weeks. The Department is tremendously grateful for everyone who is making sure we stay on top of this surge. We urge everyone to stay vigilant and take all safety precautions to stay healthy in the days and weeks ahead.

More Good News for December 9, 2020

UAB researchers have received new grant from the Rheumatology Research Foundation to support telehealth-delivered health care. Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH (Professor, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) will use this grant to support the project THRIVE (Telehealth-delivered Healthcare to Improve Care) in community-practice rheumatology.

More than 30 participants in this year's Geriatric Scholar Program stayed on track and completed their training in evidence-based care protocols for geriatric patients. The inter-professional development experience centers on developing a quality improvement project that can be adopted throughout our health care system. 

Vibhu Parcha, MD (Fellow, Cardiovascular Disease) and colleagues recently investigated mitral regurgitation. After analyzing mortality data from the CDC, they report a rise in death from the common heart valve disease beginning in 2012. The team also note a disproportionate mortality burden among women, the elderly, and those from racial minorities.

Certain cancer treatments can damage the heart and the cardiovascular system. The cardio-oncology clinic at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at Acton Road offers comprehensive testing and specialized care to protect cancer patients undergoing therapies that can affect their cardiovascular function.

Last Wednesday was the Department's final Medical Grand Rounds presentation of 2020. We will return at noon on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, with Dr. Paul Goepfert's update on COVID vaccine research. (If you missed the lecture this week from our 2019-2020 Chief Medical Residents, it's available here.)